Juicy Smoked (or Grilled) Chicken Breasts

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Chicken breasts are the staple of a healthy diet, so why not put in a little extra effort to make sure they are juicy and delicious every time?

Chicken breasts don’t have to be boring. A plump, juicy breast is a real treat, particularly if it is smoked.

It’s easy to cook a dry, tough chicken breast. Just throw it on the grill at high heat until the fork test (clear juices) says it’s done. But if you eat chicken breast often, and want them to be really delicious, juicy and tender, there are a few tricks you should be aware of.

Here are 6 suggestions that will result in juicy, tasty breasts every time. Numbers 3, 4 and 6 are most critical.

6 Tips for Juicy Chicken Breasts:

  1. Thaw them in advance, ideally at least a couple hours before meal prep.

  2. Use full thickness breasts (not split into two thinner pieces).

  3. Then pound the breasts to a consistent thickness.

  4. Wet brine the pounded breasts.

  5. Smoke them (preferred) or grill them on indirect heat.

  6. Pull them off the grill at 150F, using an accurate thermometer.

Explanation follows, or just scroll down for the recipe!

1) Why thaw them in advance?

  • The meat needs to be at the same temperature throughout if you want it all to cook to a consistent 150 degrees. Otherwise, by the time the coldest spot gets up to 150F, other areas will be higher (over-cooked/tough).

  • Leaving them in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours give the meat time to reach a consistent temperature gradient inside.

2) Three reasons to use full thickness breasts instead of slicing them into thinner halves:

  1. Thicker breasts = more time on the smoker (or grill) = more flavor. Although, the thinner breasts do have more surface area per bite to pick up smoke or grilled flavor, so there’s a trade-off here.

  2. Much easier to pull them at the right temperature, vs. thinner pieces which change temperature more rapidly.

  3. Less risk of salty chicken from the brining process. Thinner pieces pick up more salt (more surface to volume ratio).

    If you DO opt for thinner breasts, watch your brining time carefully, and hover over them like a hawk with an instant-read thermometer once they get close to 150F.

You can see that a flatter breast is more likely to cook evenly throughout.

3) Why pound them to a consistent thickness?

  • A consistent thickness means it will all turn out “just right”, with nothing over or under-cooked. Leaving the breast “as is”, means that by the time the thicker part is up to 150, the thinner part will be much higher (overcooked), and everything else will be somewhere between perfect and over-cooked.

4) Why wet brine them?

Most of this piece cooked consistently, but you can see that it cooked a little more on the left side where it was a bit thinner.

  • Brining them helps to retain moisture while cooking, resulting in juicier chicken. It is essential to brine them, but do not brine them for too long or they may become too salty. Always rinse the salt off after brining them.

  • Wet brining (salt in water) results in plumper, juicier breasts but with slightly less flavor. My personal favorite.

  • Dry brining (sprinkling with salt and letting sit on a wire rack for 40 minutes) results in less plump, less juicy breasts, but with a little more flavor.

5) Smoking vs. Grilling

Both are good choices for flavor and low calories.

Smoking gives the best overall flavor, and has no risk of flare-ups. This is really only possible if you have a pellet smoker, capable of reaching 375F degrees. Then you just set the temperature and forget it . . . the smoker handles the rest for you. I use the Green Mountain Grille Daniel Boone model, although there are some new models like Green Mountain Prime Grills and CampChef Woodwind out with great features like “pellet dump” and “fire-pit dump” you should check out.

Grilling gives good flavor as well, definitely better than baking, healthier than sauteing, but not in the same league as a smoker. To grill successfully, you have to be able to control the internal temperature of your grill to reach and hold 375F fairly consistently, while also cooking the breasts over indirect heat to avoid flare-ups. That means the breasts have to be over a burner that is either off, or on low, while the rest of the burners are keeping the grill somewhere in the 350 to 400F range.

For a salad, some recommend pulling the chicken off the grill at 145F for firmer bites.

6) Why pull at 150F instead of 160 as commonly recommended for white meat?

Most importantly, chicken white meat starts to dry out above 150F. And, while the FDA recommends that chicken be cooked to 165F, remember that they have to keep things simple and safe. Killing bacteria is a function of both temperature and time. Looking at time/temperature charts, chicken only needs 3 minutes at 150F to kill all bacteria. So, if you make sure the that the entire breast is 150F or up by stabbing several spots with an instant-read thermometer, and then rest the breast, covered, for five minutes, all should be well. Also, if you are not comfortable taking my word for it, many expert chefs recommend pulling it at 150F to avoid drying it out.

Cooking on a pellet smoker is optimal, but you can get everything except the smoked flavor by grilling them over indirect heat.

TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 15 min

  • Prep: 10 min

  • Brine: 40 min

  • Cook: 25 min

YIELD:   4 servings

LEVEL:  Easy

DIRECTIONS

If frozen, ideally thaw at least a couple of hours in advance, then place in the refrigerator

Pound the breasts to a consistent 3/4” thickness. Start with full thickness breasts, thawed, place on a cutting board, then cover with a ziploc bag and pound with the flat side of a kitchen hammer.

Wet brine them for 40 minutes. Mix 1½ quarts cold water with 3 tablespoons table salt (or 5 tablespoons kosher salt) in a ziploc bag with the chicken. Put the bag inside a plastic container in case of leaks, and place in the refrigerator for 40 minutes, no longer. Rinse the breasts under cold water and then pat dry with paper towels.

Notes: Do not brine longer than recommended or they will become overly salty.

Rub with olive oil, then sprinkle with coarse black pepper. Do not add salt.

Smoke (or grill on indirect heat) at 375F until the internal temperature reaches 150. Use a cooking thermometer with a probe. Once they approach temperature, feel free to flip them for a quick sear on the other side. If using a grill, move them to the hot portion of the grill for a quick sear on both sides.

Note: using a cooking thermometer with a probe, like the Thermoworks ChefAlarm or Thermoworks Smoke, really helps here, allowing you to keep the lid closed for the entire cook until the breasts come up to temperature and avoiding stalls (cooking slowdowns). If you do not have one, use an instant-read thermometer like the Thermoworks Thermapen MK4 when they are close to done, but close the lid again as quick as possible.

Pull at 150 and rest, covered with foil, for 5". Total cooking time should take 20 to 25", but please measure for temperature to determine when to pull them. Flip them halfway through if desired (for grill marks), but I recommend not touching them. Opening the lid will mess with your probes and stall the cook (cool down the internal temperature of the grill, causing a substantial delay in cooking time).

Note: If you pull them with any part of the breast reading much under 150F, you run the risk of bacteria that can cause Salmonella. Too much over 150, and the breasts will dry out. I pull them as soon as I am confident they are at least 150 everywhere.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Full thickness boneless skinless chicken breasts (Amish are best)

  • Olive oil

  • 3 tbsp table salt (or 5 tbsp kosher salt)

  • Coarse black pepper

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